26
by Nara Ganmi
Summary: A set if 26 short stories about NejiTen. Rated for caution, no adult themes unless your imagination runs wild -.o
1. Disclaimer

**Hey guys! Welcome to my wonderful set of NejiTen drabbles! Each one is titled with a title that begins with a letter of the alphabet, a-z. **

**Yes, I did manage all of them.**

**Well anyway, this is a disclaimer for all the chapters that are to follow. SO:**

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!!!! NONE OF THE CHARACTERS ARE MINE!!!! THEY ARE ALL MASASHI KISHIMOTO'S!!!! THE ONLY THING IN THESE STORIES THAT I OWN IS THE PLOT!!!!**

**Ok! I hope you enjoy! And reviews are greatly appreciated!**

**~Ganmi**

**PS If any of you are wondering, x has the least words. Cya!**

**PSS This story should be updated at least once a week **

**PSSS (lots lol) none of these stories are related to eachother in any way. So what happened in one has nothing to do with what happened in another.**


	2. Absence

Absence

"Tenten!!" cried a voice from behind, and I groaned. I recognized that voice, and it just so happened to be the over-excited, over-optimistic, and over-enthusiastic Rock Lee. "Tenten!!" He called again, and I stopped, allowing him to catch up at normal running speed.

"Yes Lee?" I smiled my most patient smile, the type you have to use around young children.

"You are never going to believe this!" He babbled wide-eyed. "I have no clue how it happened! First there was Gai and, the meeting and, the acceptation!"

"Lee!" I snapped and he stopped his babbling. I smiled patiently once more to regain my composure. "What happened?"

Lee took a deep breath and spat out: "Neji was sent on an "S" ranked mission alone!" I felt my eyes widen and I gasped.

"What?! I know its Neji, but an "S" ranked?! ALONE?!" my head felt like it was spinning, and I continued in my confused rage. "How good do they think he is?"

"Apparently very good!" Lee grinned his "good guy grin" and made the thumbs up sign, "I am so proud our Neji-kun is getting this glorious opportunity!" I scowled at him and pushed passed him, heading straight for the Hokage's office.

-x- (lol it looks like Neji's curse-mark!)

I slammed Tsunade's office door open after making sure she was the only one there, and began to vent my fury. "WHY THE HELL DID YOU SEND NEJI ON AS "S" RANKED MISSION ALONE?!?!? AND WHY DID I NOT FIND OUT TILL NOW?!?!"

Tsunade gazed at me levelly, and stood up before responding. "This is why. I knew you would react like this." She held my gaze calmly and surely, causing me to calm down slightly.

"But isn't that incredibly dangerous?" I questioned, "Sending him out alone like that?" Tsunade smiled.

"Yes." She answered and I felt my rage begin to mount again. "But I have confidence in him." I shot her a questioning glance out of surprise. "His abilities have advanced to the point where I can trust him with such things."

I bit my lip. "I still don't see why it had to be him." Tsunade came around her desk and laid a hand on my shoulder.

"I know how you feel about him," She whispered and I looked up, ready to deny anything she threw at me. "I felt the sane way too, once. But you need to let him do this. Its what's best for him." I nodded. And she spoke once more. "Now I need to get back to work, and you should probably train now. I trust I will see you soon, though?"

"Yes, Tsunade-Sama." I bowed, and then left the room, closing the door calmly behind me.

-x-

I tossed another stone out onto the lake and watched it skim the surface several times before disappearing under the silken fabric. I adjusted my position on the log once, before looking around and tossing another stone. I watched that one dance across the lake, making ripples every time it touched the top. The ripples fled from their origin, growing wider and wider before lapping onto the rocky lake shore. I let out a sigh and tilted my head towards the sky.

"I thought I would find you hear." A deep voice said from behind me and I jumped and turned my head, only to see a familiar face. I smiled.  
"Welcome back, Neji." I tilted my head back towards the sky and watched out of my peripheral vision him sit down next to me on the log.

We were silent for a while, watching the sky turn from blue to orange. Then Neji broke the silence.

"Why were you so against my going on that mission?" He asked suddenly, and I glanced briefly at him, never taking my head from the sky.

"Because I don't want you to die." I replied bluntly, and he seemed to frown, deep in thought.

"Why do you care?" Neji asked, and I glanced at him once more.

"Because you're," I paused for a moment, trying to find the right words, "You're my team mate. And I've come to think of you as a friend, despite of what you may think of me." That seemed to take the stoic Hyuuga by surprise, as he let a hint of it cross his face.

"What," Neji moved slightly closer. "Makes you think of me that way?" I sighed and tore my gaze from the sky to meet his level stare.

"We've spent all of our time together since our Gennin days," I explained, "and after all that time its hard _not _to think of you that way." He seemed to understand, but I could tell something else was on his mind.

"Tsunade said you threw a fit when you found out about the mission." He admitted and I frowned. "You didn't want me to die that bad?"

I turned my head away from him and said: "Well what if I do?" I heard him move closer.

"Tenten," Neji's voice seemed softer, like velvet, and I couldn't help but melt at the sound. "Tenten, look at me." I rolled my eyes and turned around.

"Wha-" I was cut off. His lips were locked against mine and I sat there, dumbstruck. I realized what was happening and began to meld with what was happening. I felt my eyes shut and I wrapped my arm around his form, as he did to me. My fingers became entangled in his hair and I felt him tug my hair bands out of position, letting my hair cascade down my back. He parted for a moment.

"I love your hair down." He whispered and then pressed his lips back to mine. "You should do it like this more often." In an instant he was back into it. His lips fit perfectly against mine, like it was meant to be. It probably was. Fate, he would call it. I agree.

Maybe I should let him go on missions more often.


	3. Boasts

Boasts

Regular day, nothing out of the ordinary, just the way I like it. I strolled down the streets of Konoha like I did every morning, as I was on my way to the training fields. Since it was only 5 o'clock, the town seemed like a ghost town, and though I would never admit it, it made me shiver. It's not a total ghost town at this time though. I pass one living soul on my morning trips, and that's Ms. LeBlanc.

"Good morning, Ms. Leblanc." Is my morning greeting, as is routine. And, as routine stands, she replies.

"Good morning Neji." She croons in her rough voice, but that's the most interaction I have with anyone until I reach the training field.

"Ah, Neji-kun! I am glad you have made it so promptly!" A boy in green spandex and the worst haircut in history called as soon as I was within earshot, which to him is about three feet. I reply with my usual "Hn."

"I see you are full of youthful energy this morning, Neji!" An exact duplicate of the boy, Rock Lee, called. "Let us begin training!"

"Wait, Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted urgently. "Tenten-san has not arrived!"

"Excellent observation Lee!" Gai yelled, his voice full of pride. "I was hoping you would catch that!" Then, as is _their_ routine, Gai became all tearful and proud-looking and said: "I am so proud of you!"

Lee, with the same expression on his face, said, "Oh Gai-sensei! I am glad to have not let you down!"

I'll spare you the pain of hearing the rest of the routine, so lets just say that it ended with me leaning against a tree waiting for my girl team-mate Tenten to arrive. Judging by the height of the sun, I'd say that I got here 10 minutes early, so she should be hare any time now.

"Good morning, Neji-kun!" Tenten called with her usual light attitude. Her eyes swept the training grounds, and she asked, "Where's Gai-sensei and Lee?"

I raised my eyebrows at her, which she quickly interpreted as "They did their whole going-off-into-the-sunset thing." And she said "Oh."

"What shall we start with?" I asked, walking to the center of the training field and facing her.

"Let's begin with the usual." She replied, smiling. I nodded, and we assumed our battle positions before beginning to spar.

-x-

Barely sweating, I crossed the training field and held out my hand to help up an exhausted Tenten. "Shall we rest?" I asked, as she seemed to need a break. Panting hard, she nodded gratefully. We walked over to the edge of the grounds and sat in the shade of a tree. I reached into Tenten's backpack and pulled out two bottles of water, passing one to her before cracking mine open.

Tenten took a long drink of water, draining half the water in a matter of seconds. "How is it that you're never tired after our battles?" She asked, and I resisted the urge to shrug.

"I have a higher stamina than you do. It is a proven fact that Males have higher stamina than females." I stated matter-of-factly.

She raised her left eyebrow and said "Do explain." I smirked slightly, knowing this was going to torture her to no end.

"Males can perform physical activities for longer than females can." I explained, and she still had that skeptical look on her face. "Meaning, even if I didn't use Byakugan, I could still beat you."

"Oh really?" Tenten asked, clearly annoyed by this piece of information. "If you didn't use Byakugan I could SO beat you!"

"Oh contraire," I waved my hand. "I have the upper hand. See, as I am male and you-"

"Now that is purely sexist!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "I will PROVE that I can beat you if you don't use your stupid Kekkai-Genkai!" I climbed to my feet.

"Fine." I leaned in closer to her face, "Prove it."

That did it. She totally snapped. She swung her right fist then her left, both of which I dodged. I moved in to swing at her head and she did a back-handspring to get out of the way. She whipped out one of her summoning scrolls and I was quickly being pelted by metal.

I moved to activate Byakugan, and then remembered the bet. "Ok. No Byakugan. No problem." I mentally reminded myself. I began to dodge the barrage of weapons that Tenten flung at me. I felt something hit my arm, then my body reacted to the pain. A thin line of blood began to run down my arm. "Okay, no more games." I thought, and leaped into action.

I made a snap decision, and I grabbed several kunai off the ground. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't use weapons, but this wasn't a normal circumstance. I had enough experience with weapons to know that if I were to aim directly at Tenten, I wouldn't hit, so I aimed slightly to the left of her, knowing she would most likely move in that direction. The knife flew out of my hand with a flick of my wrist, and did exactly as I had planned. Tenten ran straight into the trajectory of my kunai, and it skimmed her ribs, slicing part of her shirt just enough for me to see a small part of her, er, _undershirt, _if you get what I mean.

Tenten scowled at me and quickly whipped out another scroll, made a few hand signs, and summoned a three foot Katana, still in its sheath. She flung it over her shoulder gracefully and strapped it to her back. She jumped up and pulled out another scroll, summoning a second wave of weapons and hurling them in my direction.

I managed to dodge most of the various weapons tossed at me, but a shuriken did manage to cut a slit in my shirt. I narrowed my eyes and jumped back; scooping up some of her weapons and throwing them back at her. Tenten kept moving and advancing towards me, avoiding everything I tossed at her.

She closed in on me, still not drawing her katana, and I kept attempting to evade her. She made a devious smile and leaped towards me and I knew I had lost. But something happened I didn't expect.

Tenten, instead of pulling out the sword strapped to her back, leaned in and put her face close to mine. Her mouth reached mine and I was shocked to find myself returning her kiss. She broke away, and I noticed her katana was touching my throat.

"Dead," She whispered, and pulled the sword away, slipping it back into the sheath on her back. "And that proves I can beat the almighty Neji Hyuuga." She smiled and turned away from me.

"Now if you don't mind," Tenten said, a hint of pride in her voice, "I'm going home, as I have one the match." She said, and began walking off in the direction of her house. As she reached the corner of the field she stopped and turned to look at me, a hint of deviousness in her eyes.

"And Neji, you can clean up the field today. Have a good night."


	4. Caramel

Caramel

I love caramel. I always have. Ever since I was a little kid I would go out and buy those little tubs of caramel for dipping apples and such and I would eat the caramel out of it. Of course, like most girls, I care about my figure. So its and annual thing now.

It's that time of the year! Yup, the time when I go out and buy that little tub of caramel. I walked down the main street of Konoha wrapped up in my scarf, as it was getting chillier. The bag that held the container of caramel dangled on my right, swaying gently with the rhythm of my walking. I smiled absent-mindedly as I looked around at the stalls that lined the streets in preparation for an oncoming festival.

I loved those little stalls; how they all had a different item, a different theme. I especially loved the "fairy floss" stalls, as Neji calls them. I remember how the first night of a festival when we were gennins turned out when Lee and Neji had a cotton candy eating contest. I laughed so hard that I cried when they both ended up green-faced and in the bathroom a few minutes later.

I burst out of my memories and saw that my house was approaching, and I wondered how long I had been lost within my mind. I swiftly unlocked my beige front door, and made sure it clicked securely behind me before I flicked on the tiny light switch in the corner of the room.

My house was small; a one bedroom, one bath regular home. The main room (family room, if I had a family) was painted a soft yellow, the closest to a "happy color" as was in my house. I shook that last thought out of my head and strode of towards the kitchen. It, as well, was painted a pale yellow, and the white tiles that lined the floor had specs of the same yellow, perfectly accenting my kitchen. Not that I cared.

I dropped the little bag carrying my treat onto the counter and began unwrapping the scarf from around my neck, then draped the scarf and my jacket over the coat rack by the kitchen. Carefully, I lifted the little tub out of the flimsy bag it was in and cracked the lid open. With an air of suspense I peeled the covering fresh seal off and was about to stick my finger in and-

"Ding-dong!" The doorbell chimed. I sighed and walked towards the door, dropping the freshness seal and plastic bag in the trash on the way. I swung open the door and was surprised to see a tall, long-haired boy.

"Good afternoon, Tenten." Neji said. I blinked in surprise once. "May I come in?"

"Oh, yeah! Sure!" I stated, still slightly shocked at the fact that he was here. Neji nodded once and I moved so he could pass me. "I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but why are you here?"

"Can I not see a team-mate on a day off?" He asked and I was confused by his immensely vague answer.

"No, of course you can I suppose." I replied. Trying to be a good "host", whether I wanted to or not, I continued: "Would you like something?" I turned and led him to the kitchen, then opened the refrigerator and stuck my head inside. "Juice? Water?"

"Caramel?" Neji's deep voice asked from behind me, and I froze. I pulled my head out of the refrigerator and spun around, to see him pointing at the tub of caramel I had just bought.

"I, well," I stuttered and I swore he could've smiled. Then he did something I couldn't have expected, even if I could see the future: He stuck his finger in the caramel and he _licked it off._

-x-

"Okay, your turn." I laughed and Neji made a face as if he were thinking hard. We both were standing on opposite sides of my kitchen island, eating the caramel I had bought earlier in the day.

"Okay," He began. "I think that Sakura would be fairy floss." I laughed again. For the past fifteen minutes we had been relating people in Konoha to sweets.

"Hmm…" I thought for a moment, "Sasuke, would be black licorice." I announced, before dipping my finger in the sticky caramel once more.

"Let's see… Chouji," Neji said thoughtfully, "would be chocolate." I laughed again.

"Umm…" I paused briefly, trying to figure out what Naruto would be. I sighed. "There's no denying it." Neji cocked his head, but otherwise showed no sign of confusion. "Naruto is ramen."

"Hinata would be…" Neji thought for a moment. "Ice cream. Definitely blueberry ice cream."

"Ah…" I wondered for a moment, then made a devious Cheshire grin. "You are most _definitely_…" I stuck my finger into the caramel and put it into my mouth thoughtfully, and Neji looked at me skeptically. "Peppermint." I stated, then bent my head back towards the caramel.

"You," He announced, and I looked up at him as he began addressing me. "are _definitely _caramel." I grinned and he leaned closer to me. I raised an eyebrow, questioning his actions. "And I would have it no other way." He muttered, before pressing his lips to mine.

Life is…. Sweet.


End file.
